How the CEO of Smoothie King Went From Small-Business Owner to Wearing the Crown

For most college students, healthy eating goes out the window the minute freshman orientation gets under way. Wan Kim was no exception. He came to the U.S. from South Korea to study and became quickly alarmed at how many calories he was taking in. So Kim started replacing greasy meals with nutrient-rich drinks from and developed a love of the brand’s with him. In 2003, he opened that country’s first-ever Smoothie King, a full 30 years after the brand launched in the U.S. Then he kept opening them. By 2010, he owned more than 100 locations -- but he still wanted more. So he approached founder and then-CEO Steve Kuhnau and made an offer to buy the company.